Method and apparatus for treating pipettes and the like



.Ff-7: E. E.

Jan-2, 1945- J. TANNENB'ERG 2,366,369

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING PIPETTES AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 2,1942 V2 sheets-sheet 1 Frs. 2.

I N V EN TOR. 7dag/af 75m/femme Jn. 2, 1945. J. TANNENBERG METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR TREATING PIPETTES AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 2, 1942 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. @im fv/re/vs/ N M4114] I w SW@ Patented Jan. 2,1945 I' ,UNITED STATES rml-:rms AND 'rms Joseph 'ranne'nbera Batavia.N.' Y.' Application December `2, 1942, Serial No. 487,672

e claims.

This invention relates to method and. apparatus for treating and storingpipettes for use in connection with bacterlological purposes or othercapillary or relatively narrow, preferably tubular receptacles.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a very eillcientand simplified method for' 'chemically and/or mechanically treatingpipettes t or similar capillary, tubular receptacles after their'usage,so as to render them readily serviceable for renewed use or furtherpurposes.

It is-another object of the present invention to provide means forholding pipettes or like capillary tubes during cleansing and'sterilizing treatments in the course of the aforesaid method, saidpipettes being manipulated without being brought in contact with thefingers or-hand of the laborant or operator.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a suitable containerfor holding one or more pipettes or similar tubular articles ready foruse, storing purposes and future employment, and to utilize also saidcontainer in the aforesaid method accordingtowhich used pipettes placedin such container aresubjected to cleansing, disinfecting, heat treatingand other steps of said method.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a container orvsimilar device equipped with closure means for storing pipettes or thelike, a part of said device being utilizable in the method for cleansingand sterilizing the pipettes after usage thereof. v

A still further object of the present invention is to provide means tolautomatically rinse or wash tubes or pipettes andthe like, preferablycontained in several containers. l

Still another object of the present invention is to provide means forrinsing and cleaning pi- 4 petteaor similar tubes, etc., the rinsing orcleaning substance or liquid applied to said pipettes beingintermittently and automatically drained oil by means of siphon effect.

'Ihese and other objects and advantages will result from the ensuingdescription and attached drawings, which illustrate certain steps of themethod and means by which said method may be performed, it beingunderstood, however, that the drawings andthe disclosure derivedtherefrom reveal.` only one of many possible embodiments of theinvention, which is not to be considered limited thereby in any way.

In the drawings--4 Fig. 1 is a sectional elevational view of a containeror device enclosing therein between top and bottom closures a pipetteready for use.

Figs.. 2 and 3 illustrate two diilerent stages in the method accordingto this invention.

AFig. 4 isa bottom view of the container proper. Figs. 5 to 'I showmeans and further stages of the said'method for automatically cleaningand washing pipettes.

Pipettes or similar capillary-tubular receptacles mostly madev fromglass or other preferably transparent material have van average lengthof l about 5 to l0 inches or longer with anlinner diameter of a fractionof one millimeter or more. Pipettes are generally used for measuringsmall amounts of biological mattersor uids, such as blood, plasma,bacterial-substances or suspenl sions, or any other appropriate chemicaluids.

In practice, it has been found very difficult and very complicated tothoroughly clean pipettes so that they can be used again for furtherexaminations and experimental purposes.

In order to overcome these and other difliculties and disadvantages, thefollowing method and means according t0 the present invention, areproposed by which a quick and thorough cleaning and sterilization ofpipettes or like tubular recep- 425 tacles may be effected.

Referring now more particularlyto the drawings, there is disclosed inFig. 1 a container I 0 made from metal, glass or lany suitable resinouscomposition, the material of said container requiring certainproperties, as will be explained herein further below. Container Ill maybe circular in cross-section or may assume any appropriateshape. asdesired, and comprises the tubular body or container part II havingperforated bottom I2 and open end I3. v

Bottom4v I2 and lower part IB of tubular body II are provided with aplurality of relatively small (about one to two'millimeters)perforations Il, I5. Instead of perforated bottom I2 as 40 depicted inFig. 1,- a wire or like mesh (not shown) may be used, which may beattached to one oi the open ends of tubular body II. Container I0isfiltted with cup-shaped tpcover I'I and cupshaped bottom cover I8which close said container In substantially airtight, both covers I'I,v

I 8 slidably engaging the wall ofl tubularjbody II. As can be seen inFig. 1, both covers are made suiliciently long to embrace the ends oftubular container part II, so as to leave middle portion I9 of containerIll uncovered. Bottom cover I8v extends beyond perforations I5 oftubular part I I, as shown in the drawings.

Container I0, as shown in Fig. 1, encloses pi- 56 pette or similar tube20- of well known congura up to several hundred tion material which hasthe open and contracted ends 2l, 22. .Y

As above mentioned, container I may be made of any suitable materialwhich sustains dry heat- It is, of'course, understood that containerIlll closed by covers I1, i8 may hold a" plurality 4or pipettes, whichmay be stored therein in sterilized condition and ready for biologicaluse.

When pipettes are needed for laboratory work. the container cover l1 isremoved and the pipettes .are removedone after another from containerI0.

After the pipettesshave been employed and have fuliilled their purpose,they are cleaned and made ready for renewed use in the followinglmanner:The used pipettes are placed in the empty part II of container I0 '(Fig.2) whose top and bottom covers are removed, the container part Il thusfilled with one or more pipettes being then caused to sink into a vessel.22 containing disinfecting solution 23, such as 5% cresol in water. Itis quite evident that the disinfectant 23 will passthrough the bottomand lower side wall perforaticns il, I5 of container part Il and willalso penetrate lthe lower open end 22 of pipette 20 and ascend therein.This will prevent any drying and adhering of any residues, ,precipitatesor portions of biological fluids employed, to the inner wall of pipette20.

After a certain lapse of time allowed for the disintegration ordissolution of the remaining residue in the pipette, the container partI l holding pipette 20 is lifted and removed from vessel 22, asindicated in Fig. 3.

The watery disinfectant 23 is thus drained voil and several of saidcontainer parts Il are then placed into a crock (not shown) containing achemical cleaning solution, such as 10% sulphuric acid and potassiumbichromate. This cleaning solution penetrates from below through theperforations Il, l5 of container part Il andI passes through pipetteopening 22 and remains in said crock for several hours or over night,

' if desired.

The pipette container part Irl is then removed from said crock in amanner similar to that, as shown and described with respect to Figs. 2and 3;

the cleansing solution being allowed to be discharged through saidperforations or passages '14, I5, when said container part I I is beinglifted. Several container parts Il holding thethus treated pipette orpipettes are then subjected to an automatic rinsing or washing step, aswill be thereafter described with reference to Figs. 5 to 7. A'fter thepipettes are washed with tap water for one or more hours, they are thenimmersed or dipped in distilled water, drained oi and'placed in a dryingoven or other heated dryer. The container parts II carrying the pipetteor pipettes are then closed at bottom and top, as illustrated in Fig. l,are then stored and the pipette is again ready for use.

Containers with pipettes for bacteriological purposes after the dryingstep may be further .sterilized by dry heat in any suitable way. VTheclosed pipette container may thereafter be stored until needed forfurther use.

The washing or rinsing step hereinabove repipettes 20 are placed on atray 2l having the supporting legs 23 and perforations 30, the legs,resting on oblique wall extension 23 of receptacle 25. Receptacle 25 issupported by tripod 33 having the legs 34. The tripod has inwardlyprojecting lugs 35 for supporting the extension 23. Tripod -33 togetherwith receptacle 25 is prefer'- ably placed in a sink (not shown) andbelow the water faucet 36. Removably attached to the open end 21 ofreceptacle 26 is tube or pipe bend 3l to which the inverted U-shapedtube 32 is attached, as seen in Figs. 5, 6, '1. The perforations V3|) oftray 23 communicate with the opening 21 and tubes3l, 32. -V

As will be well apparent from the above, the water supplied from faucet36 will first enter the tube 3l and rise both in -receptacle 25 andU-shaped tube 32 up, to level 31 (Fig. 5), will further rise to level 38(Fig. 6) and iinally'to level 33. As soon as the water level 39 will bereached, the well known Siphon effect will be produced whereby the watercolumn in receptacle 25 and tubes 3l and 32 will be lowered below level31, while the water escapes through tube 32 according to arrow Al ofFig. '7. It is wellunderstood that any'known throttle or valve means(not shown) may be vbuilt in pipe 32 to accomplish or improve thissiphoning effect.

As will be seen in the drawing, the u -shaped tube 32 is elevated withrespect to container parts Il, so that before the siphon effect takesplace, a water level will be reached according to which the containerparts Il are iirst fully immersed within the water contained inreceptacle 25.

Due tothe Siphon effect the hereinabove described washing step will takeplace intermittently although the water flow from the faucet may becontinuous. As soon as the water level reaches the level of the invertedU-shaped pipe or tube 32, the water is beginning to flow out, and thenbeing siphoned oi very quickly. Provided the diameter of the tube orpipes 3|, 32 is large enough in comparison to the steady supply of thewater, the washing apparatus is quickly drained off in the moment thesiphon effect starts (which may be regulated by the aforesaid builtinvalve means). The high water level is thus moved down to a levelcorresponding to the height of theperforated tray -28 onv which thepipette containers Il are placed. The pipette container' ing apparatusis being slowly lled again, the l water rises again to approximatelylevel 39 and the rinsing or washing effect willrepeat itself until theow from the Water faucet is shut off. As mentioned hereinabove, thecontainer parts I I with the pipettes are thereafter removed from thereceptacle 25 and are finally treated, as aforesaid, for sterilization.It is to be noted that instead of the container part Il as shown, anopen ended tube may be used which telescopically receives at one of itsends a formaminous or sieve-like part which since it may be extended mayregulate the height of the container or tubular part according to thelength of thepipettes employed.

ferred to is now about to be described. Several container parts Hcontaining one or more It will thus be' seen that there has been pro- Avided by this invention al method and apparatus of the characterdescribed, in which the various objects hereinabove-'set forth, togetherwith many thoroughly practical advantages are successfully achieved.'l I

2,366,369 Asmany possible embodiments may be made n of the aboveinvention, and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above se:forth, it is well understood that all matters herein disclosed or shownin the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative andnot in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the inventionwhat is claimed as new and desired tobe secured by Letters Patent is:

l. The method of preparing pipettes or the like for renewed usecomprising substantially the following steps: rst subjecting saidpipettes while placed in a foraminous container, to a liquiddisinfecting agent, removingand draining off said agent from saidcontainer carrying said pipettes, thereafter placing the container withsaid pipettes in a receptacle containing a chemical cleanser, removingsaid container with the pipettes from said cleanser and allowing thecleanser' to drain off from said container, then subjecting thecontainer together with the pipettes repeatedly to automatic washingaction, thereafter introducing said container with the pipettes intodistilled water and allowing draining off of said distilled water,subjecting said container with the pipettes to the iniiuence of a heateddrier, then sealing said container at its bottom and top to encase saidpipettes, and iinally allowing container and pipettes to be sterilizedby application of dry heat.

2. A device for treating used pipettes compris.- ing a receptacle, aperforated tray placed in said receptacle, an inverted substantiallyU-shaped pipe connection communicating with the lower portion of saidreceptacle and extending substantially with itsl bend toward the upper'portion of said receptacle, and a. tubular container hav-.-

'ing an open top and a perforated bottom carried by said tray andholding a pipette, whereby upon supply of liquid to said receptacle insuiiicient quantity to raise the level of saidA liquid substantially upto said U-shaped bend, said container and pipette Will be automaticallyrinsed due to a thereby produced Siphon effect.

3. A device for treating used pipettes and the like comprising areceptacle having an open up, per end and open g bottom, a perforatedtray' placed in said. receptacle. an inverted substantially U-shapedpipe connected to said bottom and communicating with said receptacle,`the bend of said pipe being positioned substantially at the level ofsaid4 open upper end of said rematic washing treatment of said pipettein said tubular container.

4. The method of preparing pipettes or similar tubular articles forrenewed use comprising substantially the following steps: iirst placingsaid pipettes in a foraminous container, subjecting said pipettes to adisinfecting agent, removing said agent from said container holding saidpipettes, placing the container with said pipettes in a receptaclecontaining a chemical cleanser, removing said container with thepipettes from said cleanser and allowing the cleanser to drain on', thenrepeatedly washing the container together with the pipettes, thereafterintroducing said container with the pipettes into distilled water,removing said distilled water from said container and pipettes,subjecting said container with the pipettes to the iniiuence of dryheat, then closing said container at itsbottom and top to encase saidpipettes in said container, and

iinally sterilizing the thus closed container and pipettes therein byfurther application of dry heat.

5. An apparatus for treating pipettes and like tubular elementscomprising a receptacle having an open top, a perforated supportremovably positioned Within said receptacle and adapted to carry atleast one tubular container having a perforated bottom and holding aplurality of pipettes tol be treated, and an inverted U-shaped pipeconnected with said receptacle and in communication with the interiorthereof, the U- shaped bend of said pipe being located at about thelevel of said open top, whereby upon supply of suficient liquid to theinterior of said receptacle and into said pipe a siphoning effect willbe produced in said U-shaped bend, thus effectuating rinsing treatmentof said pipettes within said,

tubular container.

6. An apparataus for treating pipettes and like tubular elementscomprising a receptacle having an upper end, a perforated supportpositioned within said receptacleand adapted to carry one or moretubular containers each having a perforated bottom and each`beingadapted to hold a plurality of pipettes to be treated, and an invertedU-shaped pipe connected with said receptacle "and communicating with theinterior thereof, the U-shaped bend of said pipe being located at aboutthe level of said upper end, wherebyupon supply of a suiiicient quantityof liquid to the interior of said receptacle and into said pipe asiphoning eifect will be produced in said U-shaped bend, thuseffectuating rinsing treatment of said pipettes containers.

JOSEPH TANNENBERG.

within said tubular'

